Weekend with Daddy

So basically I feel like our weekend began today! We have been so excited that Austin is off Thursday-Sunday! We also have been blessed with beautiful fall weather! So since today was his first day off and we had nothing planned except Colby going to school we decided to take a fun little outting with Miss Lindsay. On one hand I always feel guilty going somewhere special without Colby but on the other hand I want her to experience what he experienced his first 3 years! So we try when we can to take her to do fun stuff even when he's in school. We chose City Park today since the weather was so great! We haven't been out there in awhile so I thought it would be fun. Our first thing to do was get beignets and coffee at Morning Call. Lindsay wasn't really that interested in eating them which shocked me bc normally she loves them! She was interested in the coffee and oj though! Afterwards we took her to the playground. I thought she would love running around and playing but NOPE! This girl I swear! She just sat down on the ground and cried. She wanted to be held the whole time and was not impressed with the play area in the least! This is so different then Colby! Colby was always up for new adventures and loved to walk/play anywhere! I really hope she outgrows this although she's been like this since she learned to walk so I dunno! I just hate she misses out on so much fun! We gave her about 10 minutes of trying to interest her in playing and we finally gave up and got the stroller! Well as soon as the girl saw the stroller she got up walked and put herself in! Again so unlike her big bro! He stopped using the stroller around the time he could walk! So we ended up strolling around the park...which was fine I just hated she wouldn't go play! Oh well! We enjoyed the walk and the cooler weather! The rest of the day we hope to enjoy sprucing up the house and playing outside when Colby gets out of school!
Friday was another great day! It felt like a mommy vacation! I brought Colby to school then went and met Elizabeth and Casee for coffee! It was so nice visiting and not having any kids with me. Casee did have Mason but he was really good I was just glad I didn't have mine to have to worry about! After coffee I had a 10:00 haircut. During this whole time Austin stayed with Lindsay. They had a fun daddy/daughter day though! Its not often the 2 of them get time like that alone so I think they both enjoyed it! I got home right at lunchtime we ate lunch then tried to take naps but Lindsay had other plans. Since no naps happened that afternoon we just hung out and tried to get a few things done around the house. Austin ran a couple errands with both kids after picking Colby up which was nice. That evening he and I went to the Jason Aldean concert! So fun! Although I do feel so old now when going to those type of events! I was so tired by the end! It was nice to get out just the two of us though!
Saturday morning we all slept in a little which was so nice! We woke up and had breakfast then got ready and took the kids to a speciality toy store in Metairie. We had promised Colby a toy after he raised his phonics grade. He has gotten 2 A's since then we figured we owed him a visit and that's the place he chose! It was a nice outting and I think the kids really had fun. colby picked 2 little tow trucks and Lindsay picked a cow! We also spotted a couple Christmas items for them! After we got home Austin had to leave for Hattiesburg. The kids and I played outside for awhile. I really thought Colby was going to be so upset but he handled it well. We didn't want to send him this time bc he's been so busy in school and with Halloween approaching and a lot going on we thought he needed a weekend of rest. Plus to be honest I wanted to spend time with him! I feel like with him in 5 day a week whole day school I rarely see the little guy! After playing outside I brought the kids to get Wendy's for lunch. I wanted to make the weekend feel special b/c we don't get fast food during the week! So we ate lunch then had rest time. Lindsay napped but Colby did not. After she woke up we got dressed again and went to the park. Again usually not something I do but I knew with it just being me and them we needed to get out the house for awhile or it would be a really long afternoon. We tried the park closest to us but it was crazy crowded with little league football games going on so we tried the next closest. It was busy too but its a more spacious park so we didn't feel crowded. I still had to keep a good eye on the kids especially Lindsay. They had a blast though and the weather was awesome so I was glad we went. It was so funny seeing the difference in Lindsay playing at this park vs when we took her to City Park. I guess she was sad b/c she didn't have her brother? Anyway after the park I promised Colby donuts for Sunday morning since daddy was out of town. We came home and had a kid friendly dinner of cheese quesadillas and beans! I actually really enjoyed my time at home with the kids. Usually I dread when Austin goes out of town but the kids were so well behaved and everything went smoothly! I really enjoyed some time with Colby.
Austin met us at church Sunday morning. It was nice to be back at church as a family. We had a relaxful afternoon of watching the SAINTS. My parents kept Lindsay while we went to lifegroup. It was a great 4 days! so hard to send Austin back to work on Monday though!

Family Reunion 2013

So this weekend my mom's family had their family reunion. They hold one of these every other year now. This was our 3rd one. Colby has been able to attend them all. He was 15 months the first trip we took to Austin, TX, he was 3 the next trip we took to Pensacola, FL and now this one was held at my parent's house. It was Lindsay's first reunion.
So Friday right after school we went to my parent's house. All her siblings flew/drove in that day. We arrived early though just to let the kiddos get comfortable and settled before all the craziness began. I was a little worried how they would act/re-act. Colby has certain things he likes to do at Grammy's house and Lindsay can be really timid around strangers. I talked to them though and they ended up doing so well ALL weekend! So Friday we enjoyed visiting and the kids just ran around playing. It was a little tiring b/c Lindsay had diarrhea all day Friday so I felt like I was back and forth changing her diapers all night plus she was a little cranky not too bad but she was tired too. Thankfully though at my parents house the kids do have plenty to do and I don't worry too much about the messes they make! We had a great dinner of shrimp cocktail, seafood gumbo, and jambalaya. It was fun being around all my aunts and uncles. I wish more of the cousins could have come but my kids still had fun even though they were the only 2! We had to leave by 7 to head home...I hated to miss in most of the "late night" visiting but with 2 littles that's impossible! Plus Fridays we are all exhausted. Austin didn't get to meet us that night but he got home when we did so we were able to have a little family time before bed.
Saturday the kids and I slept in! So wonderful! We all slept until 8! I love rainy mornings like that! Although we didn't get to hang out in our pjs as long as we normally would. We got dressed and headed over to my parent's again. My mom had breakfast...she had beignets, biscuits, ham, and fruit for us to enjoy. The kids enjoyed a hearty breakfast like that! We hung around and played and visited. We had a little quickie bite of lunch too before we left. I loved not having to cook all weekend! The kids and I did leave around 1 so that they could come home and rest/nap. I also needed some downtime. Colby didn't sleep but he did need the quiet time. Lindsay took a pretty good nap. We went back over there around 4:30. Again we enjoyed more time with the family. We got to spend some time outside too and enjoy the cooler temps! I was so glad to pull out blue jeans and long sleeves for the kids! They looked so cute in their fall clothes! Austin was able to get there around 5:30. It was nice to have him around that night. I was glad he got to partake in the festivities plus he was a HUGE help with the kids. We enjoyed a dinner of chicken and steak fajitas that night. We got to sit around and visit a little. The kids were in WAY better moods Saturday night especially Lindsay. Again I hated we still had to leave early but with kids that's what you have to do! We left around 7:30. I am so thankful we got to hang out with family. It means so much to hear the stories and be around my mom's siblings!
The rest of our weekend was pretty low key except church Sunday morning. We spent the rest of the day at home. I hated to miss Lifegroup once again but I felt it best that we stay in and rest.

Conferences & Awards

This week has been another milestone week for my little boy! Yesterday we had Parent/Teacher conferences. This was not my first of those (he did have those in preschool) but this was the first "real" one that included grades and such! I looked forward to hearing from his teacher. Our only real concern so far this year is his phonics grade. He started out with an A, then went to a B, and by the last couple of weeks it dipped to a C. I don't really have a problem with a C but I knew this would mean no Honor Roll. Again I don't really have an issue with that but I just didn't want his feelings to be hurt if most of the other kids got it. Thankfully this Quarter he got Perfect Attendance...so I think at this age he really doesn't know the difference. His teacher was very kind and explained that she thinks Colby will catch on to phonics. She said this is all very new to him, he's a young 5, and a boy. Its just one of those lightbulb type moments. She said she could already see improvements now that we were working more at home. She said he's a really sweet kid and very independent. I am glad his teachers always say he's sweet that's really the first thing we hear. I am glad he's a well behaved student and a pleasure to teach. Makes my momma heart happy. Honestly I would rather him be a delight and get average grades then the opposite! I am thankful to hear he's becoming so confident and independent. This time last year we really had our questions about sending him on to kindergarten. We weren't sure if he would be ready. I think he definitely was! So proud of him! So the conference went great...the teacher and I even talked about topics like Common Core. I am enjoying getting to know her! Makes me so thankful that so far each year he's been blessed with wonderful teachers who he loves and have taught him so much!
Friday was Awards Day for the students. I am not sure Colby really grasped what this was all about. It was at 8:45 so I dropped him off in carpool then went in the church to wait. Lindsay had to come with me...I had planned to bring her to school afterwards but it didn't end until 9:45 or later. I guess it was a good thing I didn't bring her b/c she had diarrhea all day long. I don't think she is sick I think she is getting her 2 year molars which anytime she's really teething she gets that. Poor baby! Anyway so I we stayed for the Awards. Colby was so proud of his Perfect Attendance! Afterwards we came on home to rest up for this weekeneds family reunion with my mom's family! More on that later!

Washington Parish Fair 2013

So we made our annual trip to the Washington Parish Fair. It was Colby's 3rd visit and Lindsay's 1st. We brought Colby when he was 2, then we skipped the year he was 3 b/c I was 8 months preggo then last year we took him again at 4 but left 10 month old Lindsay with my parents.
I didn't think we would be able to make it this year with Austin's work schedule and Colby's school schedule but the thought occured that we could get Colby out of school half day and drive up that afternoon. We checked him out at 11:30 (right before they go to lunch). This is not something we will do often but I figured a trip to the Fair was totally worth it especially since he got 100% perfect attendance for the 1st Quarter! He seemed really excited about going and seemed to remember things from last year. After getting him at school we went to eat a quick lunch at McDonald's. Def not something we do often but it was the only really conveniant stop on the way out with 2 kids. We were on our way by about 12 or so. It takes a little over an hour to get there. Both kids traveled really well. Lindsay pretty much slept the entire way over the Causeway and woke up somewhere on the North Shore. Even though she didn't get much of a nap she was a really great trooper the whole time. We got the fair sometime around 2 I think. The first area we went to was the animals. I really thought this would be the hit b/c usually it is with Colby. I think he liked seeing the animals but he refused to get near any of them! I couldn't believe it! Our little animal lover! Lindsay was in the stroller and we asked her a couple times if she would like to get out and she let us know NO right away. Oh well atleast they got to see them from a distance. Next we made our way over to the village. When we got in there it was pretty crowded. Austin decided to wait in line for cheese and crackers and a drink while I took the kids to a non-crowded area. We found a nice little shady place by the creek. I think that was actually my fav part of the whole day. We just sat down and played and enjoyed the quiet. At this point Colby could see the rides though and was anxious to get to that. I do think both kids enjoyed walking around and exploring. I was able to get in a little history with Colby explaining how people lived in those days. I would love to take him back when its not so crazy crowded though. We really didn't go into any of the buildings b/c there were so many people and with Lindsay in a stroller it was just difficult. We walked around a little more before heading to the rides. Colby had his mind on that pretty much from the moment we arrived. We told him he could only do 2 rides..we bought 10 tickets so I think he ended up doing 3. We didn't even try to put Lindsay on them. For one b/c she really didn't care either way and the rides are 3-4 dollars per child so it would have cost us 10 dollars for them both really to do just 1 ride. Plus I figured she might freak out! She's only really been on carousels so far and she hates them! After the rides we could tell the kids were getting weary so we headed out but passed through the animals one more time! On the way home we ate at Zea's....wow what an experience...I mean the kids weren't bad but they were just being crazy kids! I once again realized why we rarely go out to eat except for places like Chickfila! Anyway we got home around 7 and we quickly ushered everyone to the tub then off to bed! We were all exhausted! It was totally worth it though to have a fun day with the kids!

Pumpkins & Batman

I have to say we have had a great Saturday! Its been so fun being with the kids! I love Saturdays! Now with Colby in school so much I really miss him and look forward to having him home on the weekends! I was excited we had a lot planned this weekend...although since school began rarely have we had a free Saturday!
So our morning began with a trip out to the pumpkin patch. I would have loved to have brought the kids to a "Real" patch but our October is just jam packed and I had no idea when we would squeeze that in. We opted for a church patch instead. We went to St. Martin's Pumpkin Patch in Old Metairie. We brought Colby here when he was 1. The last few years we have gotten our pumpkins from either the grocery or the patch at AUMC but this year they don't have a patch. I figured it would be a fun outting for the kids. My parents went along with us b/c they also needed pumpkins plus I figured I could use the extra hand in wrangling the children. They also miss the kids now with school in full swing! Colby enjoyed running through the patch I think but Lindsay wanted nothing to do with it! She's so different then Colby! Colby as a toddler loved going anywhere and saw any new place as an adventure. Instead she is timid and doesn't want to be put down! She finally warmed up right as it was time to go OFCOURSE! After the patch we went to lunch at McAlister's. It was nice to eat out with the kids and my parents. We miss that opportunity now that we don't go to the same church. My parents brought Lindsay home with them b/c Colby and I had a birthday party later that day! It was a neat opportunity for her to go with them. That rarely happens! Its usually just Colby!
Colby and I came in and rested...he claimed he didn't want "rest time" but ended up falling asleep for over an hour! It was so nice having a quiet house for awhile. At 2:45 we had to leave for the party though. The party was at this Krav Maga place. I was unsure of how it would be at first and if I would know anyone or have anyone to talk to but it ended up being fine. He ended up having a blast after being a little unsure at first. About half the class was there. The party was for Colin which Colby doesn't really ever talk about. Colby mostly played with Nigel and JaVardes. I mostly visited with Mrs. Birden and 2 other moms I had met previously. Its neat getting to know his teacher a little more each time and the other moms. After the party which didn't end until 5:30 Austin met us at my parents to pick up Lindsay and the 4 of us went to Cane's for lunch. It was a very busy Saturday but I loved seeing the kids have fun and getting to spend time with them!

ER VISIT & the Rest of the Story

Ok so Friday night we all slept pretty good and slept in Saturday morning. We awoke to blue skies to the boys decided they would go ahead and go to Hattiesburg. I was a little sad our family trip had fallen through but was also a little excited about a quiet, restful day with my girl. After the boys left we headed out on some fun errands. I wanted to go to the Educator and get the kids some paints and some phonics stuff for Colby to work on. Afterwards we hit up the uniform store for one more pair of pants and a fleece for school for Colby. A cool front was coming through and he would need to wear pants a couple days this week so I wanted to be prepared. So far we are making it with 5 shirts, 3 shorts, and now 3 pants. I could tell after our errands Lindsay was getting tired. I knew she still didn't feel like herself b/c she was quiet and not her usual spunky self. So we got home and she got lethargic. She just wanted to lay in a chair. I asked her if she wanted lunch and she just continued to lay there. I figured I was going to fight her to eat. With Colby I would have forced him to eat but I have learned that they will eat when ready. So finally I just offered to hold her and she got in my lap. She actually ended up falling asleep on me which really scared me but she was also acting like she was in a pain. I kinda freaked when she fell asleep on top of me b/c she hasn't done that since she was a little infant. At this point I called the ped but they weren't open. Since she was asleep I thought I would just go lay her in her bed. Well when I layed her down she flipped out and starting twisting her body and screaming ouch and crying in pain. It really scared me so I decided to take her to urgent care. I thought maybe now it could be her ears or something else like appendicitis.
She and I drove over to the Urgent Care uptown. Thankfully they saw us right away. The doc looked her over and basically said what the ped said...her ears, throat, etc were fine that it was most likely some type of virus causing the stomach pains. She gave us a prescription for an antibiotic just in case it was bacterial. So I felt a little better. Well my mom met us when we got home and she got to see Lindsay crying/screaming in pain. I rocked her and she fell asleep again. Poor baby was SOO tired by that point. So I went ahead and laid her down. She was too tired to fight it then. My mom left once we were settled. I got settled in and ate my lunch and laid down to relax thinking everything was ok. By then Austin and Colby had turned around to come home. Not knowing what the evening held with Lindsay they felt it best to come home and its a good thing they did. So by 3 she was awake again screaming in pain. Well by this point I was really worried. I called Austin and my mom and told them I was heading to the ER. The guys were back in the city and decided to meet us at the Big Oschner. My mom came with me. Anyway we got there and they immediately pulled us in triage. They checked her out...she had no fever I think her blood pressure was a little high but I think that was mostly b/c she was worked up over being poked and prodded by strangers. As soon as we finished up in Triage they brought us to a regular room. I was so grateful they saw us right away and we didn't have to wait. We got settled in the room. A nurse and student doc came and checked on her first. At this point they were suspecting maybe a UTI. They told us at that point she would get an x-ray, catheter, and an IV. The attending doc came in next. She was concerned that Lindsay could have an incesspetion. She told us they would perform this barium enema test on her. We were getting concerned at this point what might be wrong with our little girl. So first they came in and did the catheter. Well I am sure you can imagine how well she liked that. I think this was the worst to watch. I know how much those things hurt to put in and I felt so sorry for her having to experience that kind of pain at only 22 months. Well they gave her a little time to recover for that before coming in for the IV. They papoosed her for this which I was actually glad b/c it seemed to calm her some. Well after all that trauma we had a few more minutes for her to recover before they came to whisk us off to radiology for the barium enema test. This is what made me most nervous...I had no idea what to expect. Everyone that greeted us asked if we understood what was about to happen...then they had to tell us that they could actually perferate her bowels and she would have to have surgery...ahh talk about a nervous mommy and daddy! Anyway the test was actually pretty quick. About 2 minutes into it they told us there was no issues! Praise the Lord. We were able to go back downstairs to our room. We waited for about an hour after that for all the tests to come back and the doc to check us out. We ended up leaving with she had some type of virus most likely that was causing the unexplained belly pain. AGH frustrating but also so relieved our baby was ok! We were all so tired though! We left and went to pick Colby up. It was after 8:30 before we got home. We quickly bathed kids and sent them off to bed! Austin and I were so thankful to finally sit down about 9 and eat our dinner and relax! What a crazy day! But so much to be thankful for!

Playdates, sickness, and Tropical Storms

Well this week has ended up WAYY different then earlier expected. Seriously when we plan God laughs.
So yesterday I took Colby to school and Lindsay and I had a fun little mommy/daughter morning planned. I try to keep thursdays open for she and I to do something fun. Anyway our plan was to meet a couple other moms at the mall at 9:30 to play. So we did all our morning stuff and went to the mall. All morning Lindsay seemed fine. Now Colby and Lindsay both have little colds/allergy stuff going on this week. I have even been using the oils on them frequently just to keep anything at bay. So we get to the mall and to the play area and Lindsay was totally out of kilter. But I thought nothing of it...she acts like this a lot and honestly has never liked the play area except when Colby is there. I honestly just thought she was being a typical 1 year old. She played off and on but was a little clingy. At one point I kinda wondered if she didn't feel good or just wondered if her 2 year molars were really bothering her. We stayed well over an hour though and visited and played. Its been soo good for my mommy soul to hang out with Christian friends while our littles play! Anyway so we finally came on home and when we got home she just melted to pieces. She refused to eat lunch which again though not that uncharacteristic of her. Finally I took her temp and was shocked that this entire time she had a 102 fever! My poor angel! I also felt soo guilty for going on a playdate with a sick little but I honestly had no idea!
So I gave her some tylenol and she took a good nap. After her nap she was a little more perky but by the time we got home from getting Colby she was a total mess again. She finally put herself in our recliner and stayed for 2+ hours! SO UNLIKE her! That night around 10 we went to check on her and she was burning up! Checked her temp and it had spiked to 103. We gave her some tylenol and rubbed her down with a cool cloth. I held and rocked her for a little while.
Friday morning she woke up seeming to feel a little better and just a low grade fever. I debated taking her to the doc but I figured I needed to go ahead since we did have a storm coming our way and a possible trip. So we brought Colby to school then went to the doc. I really figured she had an ear infection. So got her to the doc and the doc checked her and found nothing. Said it was most likely viral and she would just have to fight it off. Most of Friday she acted ok...not as perky as usual but not as puny as the day before. That night she even ate a good dinner so we thought things were looking up and the worst was behind us...little did we know! Friday night we stayed in and had a good night as a family. We built a tent and watched CARS with Colby. Things were going well! Read the rest of the story next...